Is It Really September Already?????
Wow! I cannot believe that the summer is gone! I don't really feel like I got to enjoy it much as I was stuck in an office building all summer. I do not recommend going from school to summer employment to school without having any "vacation" or "break" in between. It is one of the most exhausting things you could ever do to yourself! Trust me, money is NOT as important as one's sanity or well-being. I learned that lesson the hard way this summer....I'm utterly and completely exhausted! My last week long vacation was the first week of April and the next one I'll get will be Christmas break...beginning December 23rd! Yippee! Ugh...Anyway, moving on to better and brighter things! I started my student teaching, Round #2, this past Monday. I am working in a Grade 1 class until the end of October in a public school here at home with a completely wonderful Christian lady. I think it's going to be a great experience. We've spent most of this week sitting through hours of staff/district meetings, which have been very draining, but good along with setting up the classroom and getting things ready for our little ones to arrive on Tuesday. I'm really glad this student teaching is at the beginning of the year because it's interesting to see what all takes place before the kids arrive and to be part of all of that. We had district meetings at my high school yesterday. I hadn't been back there since the morning after Safe Grad! haha It felt VERY strange walking back in there again after 5 years and sitting in assembly like fashion in the gym. I kept waiting for them to sing the school song!! "We are the students of Fredericton High, Onward we go to our goal....." hahahaha I'll spare you the rest of that (although, TRUST ME, I could sing it for you word for word if you wanted!! Actions and all!). It was a great first week cutting things out, colouring and creating posters, laminating, putting up bulletin boards, going over lesson plans and curriculum, sitting through staff meetings, etc., etc., etc., etc.! haha Non-educators really have no idea what it takes to get things ready for the students and the year! Even though it's a lot of work, I still love every minute of it!
I just finished reading the book "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge as well. I know many, many of you out there have already read it (some of you more than once!) but I must just say, this book REALLY touched and spoke to my heart much more than I was expecting. I sat up late one night absolutely sobbing my way through the chapter "Mothers, Daughters, Sisters." I felt like the Lord was taking all the things that I didn't understand about my heart and soul and printing it on the paper for me to see (or try to see through the tears!) and comprehend on a much deeper level and to draw me closer to Him in turn. At the moment, there is no way I could do justice with my own words to show how this book touched my heart other than to share a few of the most meaningful passages (for me anyway) with you:
"All women are made in the image of God in that we bring forth life. When we enter into our world and into the lives of those we love and offer our tender and strong feminine hearts, we cannot help but mother them."
"The gift of friendship among women is a treasure not to be taken lightly. Women friends become the face of God to one another - the face of grace, of delight, of mercy."
"There is a fierce jealousy, a fiery devotion, and a great loyalty between women friends. Our friendships flow in the deep waters of the heart where God dwells and transformation takes place. It is here, in this holy place, that a women can partner with God in impacting another and be impacted by another for lasting good. It is here that she can mother, nuture, encourage, and call forth life."
"When God gives a friend, he is entrusting us with the care of another's heart. It is a chance to mother and to sister, to be a Life giver, to help someone else become the women she was created to be, to walk alongside her and call her deep heart forth."
"Friendships need to be nurtured and guarded and fought for. We need to call one another without waiting to be called first. We need to ask how our friends are doing and really listen to their answers. Listen between the lines. We love our friends by pursuing them - calls, little presents, cards, invitations to play, to go for a walk, to go to a movie. We offer our hearts."
(pp. 179-181, Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldredge)
In gaining a new and fuller understanding of MY heart, I hope to touch the hearts and lives of those around me, especially my girl/women friends. My life has been impacted over and over again, on countless occasions, by amazing women of God who have listened to and obeyed the heart of God to speak to me and to allow our Heavenly Father to speak tenderly through them into my heart. I can only pray the Lord will use my heart and life in return for such a precious gift I've received to touch the lives of those around me. However, I've also been deeply wounded by friendships and I pray that the Lord would guard my heart from future wounds and to instill in me a sense of caution when dealing with the precious hearts of those beautiful women close to me.
posted by His Beloved @ 12:13 a.m.
11 Comments:
Hi Amy :) I just thought I'd comment to help you get more than eight comments! (Also, I'm waiting for the kid I'm nannying this morning to wake up). I admit I've not read "Captivating" mostly because I was afraid that it would try to type-cast all Christian women into the same mold, and I've had enough of trying to fit into preconceived and pre-set social molds. But it doesn't sound like it does that...does it?
No, Jo, it doesn't! It's not a book that tells you how to be a certain kind of woman...it helps you to unveil your own heart, and it's own contents. I'll copy what I said on Ang's site:
The back of the book sums it up best by saying, "The message of 'Captivating' is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you feel as a woman--they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now s the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating."
I higly reccommend it!
thanks Kayla :)
"We go and never faulter, our aim is for the sky, we fight with our heart and our soul..." I too can sing that song word for word, although I'm not sure we ever had actions. Yay for Fredericton High, and Fredericton friendships! :) I'm glad the student teaching is going well. I am so sorry to hear that you didn't get much of a break this summer. I pray, like Missy, that this weekend will be a time of much neeeded rest and relaxation for you. Also, that book sounds really great! I have never read it, but I must now. Thanks for sharing your heart about that. Also, although I may be bad at showing it, I am so thankful for our friendship Amy, and how genuinely you care about me and others you are friends with. We need to get together soon! I love you friend!
jo - no, it really doesn't. i put off reading the book b/c i was afraid it was just another fad. but the more i heard credible people speak so highly of it, the more i wanted to read it. it focuses a lot on the role God intended women to play in this life. i now highly recommend it as well!
missy - had an awesome time with you this week/weekend!!
sarahlee - "so let's give a cheer for the school we hold so dear, and when we cheer we hope for victory, VICTORY! even when we lose a cup, our spirits' always up, we're the students of fredericton high!" the actions i was referring to were the vigorous clapping throughout the song and the little arm thingy we did at the word "victory." we should sing it together when i come visit you this fall!! hahaha :) :) love you!
Amy - Wow...sounds exciting! You are going to be an amazing teacher...will the kids call you 'Miss Amy'?? hehe...that has a nice ring to it ;)
I absolutely love that book. I think I need to read it again. Except I don't own it...hmmmm...Christmas idea for Mom ;) I'm glad you enjoyed it...take care girl...miss ya!
Hey Amy...it was fun reading through your blogs and catching up on your life! I look forward to reading more. I totally agree about "Captivating". It's been so fun to learn that God is pursing me as I do the same for Him! I am on round two of reading it! Love it! Keep in touch!
Hey Amy! I met that girl from Houlton! I forget her name already, but I really like her. It was weird actually...I went into one of my classes and there were a bunch of empty seats and I decided( for some unknown reason) to make my way to a seat closest to the wall. So I climbed over three people to get there and as I sat down I ws thinking " why did I just do that? I could have easily sat in another seat closer to the aisle!" Then i started talking to this girl beside me and she asked me what my name was and I told her and she was like " Are you from Maine????" It was really funny. What a God thing huh? Anyways, I really like her a lot. She's sweet. Hope you're having an awesome September so far ;) Love ya!
~Laura
I feel odd leaving a comment on such a, uh, feminine post, one chock-full of only-female comments, nonetheless...but even I have read parts of Captivating and found it to be super good.
In fact, to confirm what everyone else has said, I found it to be the anti 'Christian-woman's-book', the opposite of all the "A Good Christian Lady Will Have Supper Ready for Her Husband at 5pm and Stay Home and Be Nice And Quilt Large Blankets Full of Bible Verses on Them" books that have flooded the market.
Anywho, yay Captivating, yay Mark for being confident enough to leave some testosterone on Amy's blog.
i loved that book too amy. So much truth in there. I can't believe it's fall again either. hope you're enjoying teaching. I started going to the gym again this week....AND MISSED YOU A TON! No fair that you live in canada and can't meet me at 6 am for a little exercise any more :) Love ya Aim.
Hey Amy,
I'll be thinking of you as you prepare to student teach the second time around. It should come much easier to you and I know you'll be a natural!
Thanks for sharing about the book. I really should read it. I find I have a hard time maintaining my friendships with girls because I let myself get too busy and focused on things that I need to do. Ben's trying to help me in this area (I'm trying to phone some friends more regularly and such) because he says that it takes work to be a friend! It was so much easier for me in high school! I mean, I find it easy to make friends, the hard part is staying in touch with them and maintaining that closeness. Thanks for being so open. I needed to read what you wrote.
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